Hey Everyone,
An interesting topic came across my YouTube feed -- "The Treat Yourself Epidemic." The host was talking about how the thought of "Treating Yourself" has pretty much turned into a Scourge of Self-Indulgence.
What started out as "Self-Care" and "Rewards" for various tasks has now morphed into things such as:
* "Traffic was a bear today! I'm going to treat myself!"
* "What a long day! / The kids were really acting up! / My boss asked me do do something extra! I'm going to treat myself!"
* "I got my project done / homework finished / yard mowed! I'm going to treat myself."
* "It's Monday - argh! It's Tuesday -- I need a pick-me-up! It's Wednesday! Halfway through the week! It's Friday! It's Saturday! It's Sunday night! I'm going to treat myself!"
And so it goes...
The point is that people have turned what used to be occasional rewards into an everyday thing at every opportunity -- the $8 dessert coffee drink, the fried junk food (a donut, fast food meal, pizza, etc.), material items you enjoy buying (makeup, clothes, games, toys, tools, hobbies, etc.) -- all in the name of telling yourself that you were good, so now you must surely deserve a "treat."
The treats don't even have to cost anything but time and opportunity -- for some people, a treat might be playing games for an hour that turns into the rest of the day -- but at the cost of finishing important responsibilities and/or learning important new skills.
The conclusion to the discussion was that people's version of "Treating Themselves" has given way to a convenient excuse that abolishes all signs of self-control, becoming a large contributing factor to people's weight gain, financial hardships, poor time management, etc.
In other words, we need to bring back Self-Control and Delayed Gratification.
What are YOUR thoughts on both you and others wanting to "Treat Themselves?"
I was going to post this in Singles, as I wonder if Singles have more problems with "treating themselves" too often (with no one to really stop us,) but I've seen videos of married parents "rewarding" themselves with plenty of things, too.
* What do you define as treats? How much do you have to accomplish to "deserve" one? And how often should one get a treat?
* How do you keep the "treating yourself" from going too far? How do you set limits on budgets, calories, and time that is allowed?
* Do you see others taking the "treating yourself" notion too far as well? (Friends, family members, etc.) Would/do you confront them if they go too far? (A parent spending all their money, hoarding, becoming overweight and a recluse, etc.)
One of my "treats" is making tater tots and chicken strips in the air fryer!
I know it doesn't sound like much, but recently I had to put myself in check, and limit this to only once per week.
I got careless and was trying to justify "treating myself" to 2 or 3 times instead!
And both my wallet and the scale had something to say about that.
What are your thoughts on the right -- and wrong -- ways for people to treat themselves?
An interesting topic came across my YouTube feed -- "The Treat Yourself Epidemic." The host was talking about how the thought of "Treating Yourself" has pretty much turned into a Scourge of Self-Indulgence.
What started out as "Self-Care" and "Rewards" for various tasks has now morphed into things such as:
* "Traffic was a bear today! I'm going to treat myself!"
* "What a long day! / The kids were really acting up! / My boss asked me do do something extra! I'm going to treat myself!"
* "I got my project done / homework finished / yard mowed! I'm going to treat myself."
* "It's Monday - argh! It's Tuesday -- I need a pick-me-up! It's Wednesday! Halfway through the week! It's Friday! It's Saturday! It's Sunday night! I'm going to treat myself!"
And so it goes...
The point is that people have turned what used to be occasional rewards into an everyday thing at every opportunity -- the $8 dessert coffee drink, the fried junk food (a donut, fast food meal, pizza, etc.), material items you enjoy buying (makeup, clothes, games, toys, tools, hobbies, etc.) -- all in the name of telling yourself that you were good, so now you must surely deserve a "treat."
The treats don't even have to cost anything but time and opportunity -- for some people, a treat might be playing games for an hour that turns into the rest of the day -- but at the cost of finishing important responsibilities and/or learning important new skills.
The conclusion to the discussion was that people's version of "Treating Themselves" has given way to a convenient excuse that abolishes all signs of self-control, becoming a large contributing factor to people's weight gain, financial hardships, poor time management, etc.
In other words, we need to bring back Self-Control and Delayed Gratification.
What are YOUR thoughts on both you and others wanting to "Treat Themselves?"
I was going to post this in Singles, as I wonder if Singles have more problems with "treating themselves" too often (with no one to really stop us,) but I've seen videos of married parents "rewarding" themselves with plenty of things, too.
* What do you define as treats? How much do you have to accomplish to "deserve" one? And how often should one get a treat?
* How do you keep the "treating yourself" from going too far? How do you set limits on budgets, calories, and time that is allowed?
* Do you see others taking the "treating yourself" notion too far as well? (Friends, family members, etc.) Would/do you confront them if they go too far? (A parent spending all their money, hoarding, becoming overweight and a recluse, etc.)
One of my "treats" is making tater tots and chicken strips in the air fryer!
I know it doesn't sound like much, but recently I had to put myself in check, and limit this to only once per week. I got careless and was trying to justify "treating myself" to 2 or 3 times instead!
And both my wallet and the scale had something to say about that. What are your thoughts on the right -- and wrong -- ways for people to treat themselves?
